The Magic and Science of Flow
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Flow is the essence of optimal performance
A Flow State is characterized by complete absorption in a task, which results in a total transformation of your sense of time.
“Flow” was coined by Hungarian-American psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, in 1975. After interviewing a number of people about this unique state of mind that happens when they become absorbed in their work, he chose a metaphor related to water carrying a person along.
Flow States have a feeling of attainable transcendence. High-performance athletes and artists train to enter this state. It is the moment when the world falls away from a great player: there is no finals clock ticking down to 0:00, there are no opponents, there are no fans. There is simply the player, the arcing ball, and the swish of the net.
This is equally true of the poet and the poem, the architect and the blueprint, and the group huddled around a whiteboard and the equation.
Csikszentmihalyi noted that people more easily enter Flow States when engaging in activities that they love. He also recognized that people can train to be in Flow States, and the more you train, the more often it happens.
Characteristics that will help you achieve Flow
The Magic of Flow
A Flow State produces an almost-mystical experience. Your sense of time is transformed. The difference between five minutes and five hours dissolves. You become so engrossed in a task you lose all sense of minutes and hours.
Flow has been compared to trances and hypnosis. Because the Flow State shuts down the part of your brain that creates your ego, you feel immersed in everything around you. You feel at one with yourself and the world.
Flow presents an opportunity to maximize your potential. People in Flow States perform their duties better and with more enjoyment than they would otherwise, whether it’s writing a book, completing 100 lines of code, or running a marathon.
People in Flow report a sense of transcendence from everyday anxieties and concerns. No longer hindered, they’re able to focus completely and achieve their goals.
The Science of Flow
Our brain can process roughly 120 bits of information per second. Csikszentmihalyi originally became interested in the complete absorption of painters while at work; they’d go hours without eating or resting. He realized their full attention was focused on a single task.
Using fMRI machines, researchers learned that Flow is a subjective experience — the same neurological patterns emerge in every subject. They had previously assumed the prefrontal cortex (PFC) processes Flow. This brain region is responsible for complex cognitive abilities, such as planning ahead, evaluating rewards and time, suppressing urges, making moral decisions, learning from experience, and having a sense of self. Yet the PFC actually shuts down during Flow, which is the reason it feels instinctual and automatic.
Flow is the result of the synchronization of attentional and reward networks in the brain. A balance of challenge and skill is required.
Researchers can artificially induce Flow States in several ways. One is through the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation to turn off the PFC, which has been shown to help people perform and learn more efficiently. In one study on military training, DARPA found that snipers were also able to remain focused under highly stressful conditions during Flow.
Besides a greater sense of focus, people that experience Flow often overcome challenges in the way of achieving their goals, raising their overall sense of life satisfaction. People in Flow attribute this state for helping them be more creative and feel more competent.
Music and Flow
Music also promotes Flow States. Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Charles Limb used fMRI to examine the brains of improv jazz musicians and freestyle rappers. When musicians improvise, their PFC is deactivated — specifically, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This is the region known for self-monitoring and impulse control. Limb showed that since Flow is a fluid state, second-guessing slows down the process of getting into this mindset.
Some music is better than others. Music with emotional or sentimental overtones is likely to stimulate your amygdala (emotions) and hippocampus (memory), which are both in your primitive emotional system. Music that is too fast, variable, or loud will jar your locus coeruleus into distraction. Don’t pick your favorite music or songs you abhor; find music that is somewhat pleasurable. Music with lyrics has been shown to be distracting when compared to instrumentals.
Music made with a tempo of 60-90 beats per minute decreases neural activity. This tempo increases alpha brain waves and decreases higher-activity beta waves. An increase in alpha waves is tied to decreased self-awareness, timelessness, and motivation — the exact conditions needed for a Flow State. One study even shows that musicians perform better when in Flow than during their normal performance routine.
Other Resources
The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance by Steven Kotler
A Theory of Human Motivation by Abraham Maslow
The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
The Emotional Life of Your Brain by Richard J Davidson
